NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR CHILD WELFARE

Be part of our transformational campaign.

Stand Up for Kids is Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s national campaign to raise $60M to catalyze change for Canada’s most vulnerable children and youth – those who have experienced abuse, abandonment and neglect. Together, we can help them overcome their trauma, develop their potential, and break the cycle for future generations.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors to date, the Stand Up for Kids campaign has:

$57.4M

dollars raised

96%

of our $60M target

89,369 kids

Transformed the lives of 89,369 children and youth

77 partners

Worked in partnership with 77 child and youth serving partners in 10 provinces and 2 territories.

Explore the critical programs, supports and resources our donors are making possible, which address the most urgent needs of our children and youth.

For young people involved in the child welfare system, their 18th birthday tends not to be a cause for celebration. At age 18, they officially “age out” of the child welfare system, meaning that they no longer have access to the critical supports that help them maintain stability in their lives – like a social worker, foster family, or other caregivers. Without these supports, many young people drop out of school, and enter a life of homelessness and poverty.

Together with our donors, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada provides access to urgently needed programs – such as sustainable housing, employability services, financial literacy, healthy eating and food preparation, and mentoring – for the young people we serve as they transition into a new life of independence.

The Teddy Bear Fund provides long-term, stable funding to address the most urgent needs of children and youth who have experienced abuse and neglect. Created to be responsive to the changing needs of kids as they grow and to the evolving child welfare system, the Teddy Bear Fund allows Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada to allocate essential resources where they are needed, when they are needed – much as a caring parent would.

With support from our donors, the Teddy Bear Fund fills the gap between what Toronto’s children need to survive and what they need to thrive – such as community-level parenting supports to keep families together, enabling kids to go to camp, providing gifts to celebrate birthdays and special milestones, school supplies and life-skills training such as computer and financial literacy.

Only 46% of kids from care graduate from high school, compared to 83% of their peers. Furthermore, only half of these young people will pursue a post-secondary diploma or degree. Young people who grow up in foster care, group homes and treatment facilities face many barriers – including mental health issues, a lack of family support, and the need to financially support themselves – making the goal of obtaining a post-secondary education nearly insurmountable.

But for these young people, achieving an education can completely transform their lives. Together with our donors, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada provides access to fulsome programs and supports from kindergarten to university that remove these barriers – such as stay in school awards, tutoring, scholarships and bursaries. Below are examples of two programs helping our children and youth achieve an education:

The family home should be a place where children can turn to for comfort, love and unconditional support. However, this is not the case for many children and youth in the care of the child welfare system. It’s rare for them to find any sense of permanence and belonging. Relatively few children are adopted beyond infancy and the average child moves to five foster homes during their childhood.

Together with our donors, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada aims to strengthen families and communities, preventing children from entering the child welfare system. But when children are unable to stay with their families, we help provide comfort during crisis, resources to help match them with their adoptive families and supports for them to bond and heal together with their new family.

Early childhood trauma has profound and complicated effects on kids that can linger throughout their entire lives, including mental health issues, an increased risk of serious illness in adulthood, and physical, cognitive and intellectual deficits.

Kids in the child welfare system lack both a parental advocate and financial resources to ensure they get the right interventions and supports to build a healthier body and mind. Together with our donors, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is providing children and youth with the mental and physical health supports they need to heal, thrive and move forward with strength and resilience, such as mental health counseling, vision and dental care, summer camp and extracurricular activities.

Young people who identify as a racial, ethnic, or sexual minority face added stigma and marginalization growing up in the child welfare system. Some ethno-cultural communities – particularly Black and Indigenous youth – are vastly overrepresented in the child welfare system. These young people often lose their connection to their heritage, lack access to culturally appropriate supports, and face added barriers to a brighter future.

Together with our donors, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is providing children and youth with the support they need to celebrate their heritage, affirm their identity, and develop a healthy sense of self-esteem.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is grateful for the leadership of our Campaign Leadership Council, led by Co-Chairs Bill Butt, Laura Dottori-Attanasio, and Dougal Macdonald.

There is much more to be done to ensure vulnerable children and youth across Canada have the support they need to heal, grow and thrive. To find out more about how you, your company or your foundation can take a stand and invest in the future of our kids, please contact: